Three-dimensional sign



1366- 1967 w. L. CHALFIN THREE'DIMENSIONAL SIGN Filed Oct. 8, 1965.

FIG.1

INVENTOR. William L.Cha|fin I B 114 112 j 'qdzdww ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 3,358,398 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 3,358,398 THREE-DIMENSIONAL SIGN William L. Chalfin, 1435 E. 101st St, Brooklyn, NY. 11209 Filed Oct. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 494,129 4 Claims. (Cl. 40125) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to a three-dimensional sign and more particularly to a sign that includes inflated indicia.

Many advertising signs of the non-fluorescent or nonelectric type usually lack eye-catching or eye-appealing features. Moreover, if the signs are to be used only once and thereafter discarded, the expense of the sign is substantially lost. However, if the sign can be used at a later date, as where the sign advertises a semi-annular sale, problems are encountered in providing storage space for the sign, particularly if the sign is large.

The desideratum of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional sign which possesses eye-catching features.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional sign having removable and interchangeable indicia so that the same elements may be utilized to advertise a number of different events. This arrangement results in a great economic advantage to the advertiser since the need to prepare more than one sign is eliminated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a threedimensional sign that may be folded into a compact package when it is not in use. Thus, the sign of the present invention may be stored easily in a relatively small space.

Accordingly, a first embodiment of the present invention includes a base having a channel in the top wall. A number of inflatable indicia' of three-dimensional configuration are provided with depending members which are adapted to be received in the channel. However, the depending members are sized so that the members are slightly larger than the width of the channel. Accordingly, when the respective members are inserted into the channel and the indicia are inflated, the members will engage the walls defining the channel in tight frictional engagement to maintain the indicia removably affixed to the base. Thus, by providing different indicia, the sign may be changed to advertise different events.

A second embodiment of the sign of the present invention comprises an inflatable base having integral inflatable indicia of three-dimensional configuration communieating with the base. Thus, the entire sign may be inflated or deflated in a single operation.

A feature of this invention is to provide inflatable indicia having preselected three-dimensional configurations which may be folded when not in use so that the sign may be stored in a small area.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of a first embodiment of a sign constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the sign of the present invention taken along the line 22 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of a second embodiment of a sign constructed according to the present invention.

A first embodiment of the three-dimensional sign of the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2' and includes an inflatable hollow base 12. The base 12 comprises a front wall 14, a rear wall 16, a bottom wall 18, a top wall 20 and opposed side walls 22 and 24. The respective walls are connected together to provide an air-tight enclosure. Provided on the wall 24 of the base 12 is a conventional valve 26 that communicates with the interior of the base 12 and controls the passage of a gas therethrough in a well known manner so that the base may be inflated or deflated. In practice, the base 12 is fabricated from a flexible plastic material so that the base may be folded into a small package for storage purposes when it is not in use.

Provided in the top wall 20 of the base 12 is an approximately centrally located elongated channel 28. The

' channel 28 is defined by walls 32 which are integral with and depend from the top wall 20. The bottom edges of the walls 32 are connected with a bottom wall 34 which is in substantially parallel spaced relation to the bottom wall 18 of the base 12.

Removably mounted on the base 12 are inflatable hollow indicia 36 and 38 of predetermined three-dimensional configuration which extend upwardly from the top wall 20 thereof. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the three-dimensional indicia take the form of letters. The indicia 36 and 38 are provided with valves (not shown) similar to the valve 26 so that the respective indicia may be individually inflated or deflated in the conventional manner. Similar to the base 12, the indicia 36 and 38 are fabricated from a flexible plastic material so thatthe indicia may be folded flat when they are deflated. Thus the indicia may be stored in a relatively small storage area.

Provided on the bottom wall of the indicia 36 and 38 are respective pairs of longitudinally spaced inflatable 'hollow depending members 40 and 42. The members 40 and 42 have the same general cross-sectional area as the channel 28. The members 40 and 42 communicate with the interior of the respective indicia 36 and 38. Thus, when the respective indicia 36 and 38 are inflated, the associated members 40 and 42 will similarly be inflated.

The indicia 36 and 38 are mounted on the top wall 20 of the base 12 withthe bottom walls of the indicia 36 and 38 in flush abutment with the top wall 20 and with the respective members 40 and 42 received in the channel 28. As a feature of the present invention, the members 40 and 42 are sized tooccupy a greater width, when inflated, than the width of the channel 28, as defined by the depending walls 32 and the bottom wall 34. Thus, the

' walls defining the members 40 and 42 will be constrained in the channel 28 and will exert a force outwardly against the walls 32 thereby to provide a tight frictional engagernent between the members 40 and 42 and the walls 32 defining the channel 28. Hence, the indicia 36 and 38 will be maintained on the base 12 under adverse weather conditions.

In operation, the base 12 is inflated in the well known manner by passing a gas into the hollow interior of the base, through the valve 26. Thereafter, the members 40 of the deflated indicia element 36 are inserted into the channel 28 and the three-dimensional indicia element 36 is inflated, whereupon the walls of members 40 engage the walls 32 of the channel 28 in tight frictional engagement to maintain the indicia element 36 on the base 12. Similarly, the members 42 are inserted into the channel 28 and the indicia element 38 is inflated, in the well known manner, whereupon the walls of the members 42 engage 3 v the walls 32 of the channel 28 in tight frictional engagernent to maintain the indicia element 38 on the base 12.

When it is desired to remove the sign 10, the three-dimensional indicia 36 and 38 are deflated whereupon the respective members 40-and 42 collapse and allow separation of the indicia from the base 12.-The base 12 may then be deflated. Thereafter the base 12 and the indicia 36 and 38 may be folded into a compact package and stored in a relatively small area.

It will be obvious that the positions of the indicia 36 i and 38 may be interchanged on the base 12. Moreover, additional inflatable indicia having different three-dimensional configurations may be provided with inflatable depending members similar to the members 40 and 42. Accordingly, any additional indicia may be mounted on the base 12 in any desired sequence thereby to change the wording of the sign so thatthe same elements may be used to advertise different events.

In practice, the indicia and the base 12 are manufactured in a plurality of different colors so that the indicia and the base may be combined to present a brightly colored sign which has eye-appealing features. n the other hand, the sign may be assembled so that the elements thereof are one color only, in accordance with the advertisers desires.

Accordingly, an inflatable three-dimensional sign has been provided which includes interchangeable indicia having a three-dimensional configuration so that the same elements may be utilized to provide signs advertising different events. Moreover, the sign is adapted to be folded into a compact package when it is not in use so that the sign may be stored in a relatively small area.

A second embodiment of a sign constructed according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3 and is designated generally by the numeral 110. The sign 110 includes a hollow inflatable base 112 having a front wall 114, a rear wall 116, a bottom wall 118, a top wall 120 and opposed side walls 122 and 124. The walls are sealed together along their respective adjacent edges to form an air-tight enclosure. Provided on the side wall 124 is a valve 126 which communicates with the interior of the base 112 and which controls the passage of a gas therethrough, in the conventional manner, to control the inflation and deflation of the sign 110.

Mounted on the top wall 120 and integral with the base 112 are upwardly extending hollow inflatable indicia 136 and 138 of three-dimensional configuration. As shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the indicia 136 and 138 communicate with the interior of the base 112 so that when the base 112 is inflated or deflated the indicia 136 and 138 will be simultaneously inflated or deflated therewith.

In practice, the sign 110 may be fabricated from the same flexible plastic material that the sign 10 is made of so that the sign 110 may be folded into a substantially flat compact package when it is not in use,

The sign is ideally suited for advertising events which occur periodically, as semi-annular sales and the like.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the base 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be solid rather than inflatable so that the sign 10 may be used in windy areas without the need for external weighting means.

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional sign includinga base, a plurality of hollow inflatable indicia having predetermined three-dimensional configurations when inflated, valve means communicating with the interior of said hollow indicia for controlling the passage of a gas therethrough to inflate and deflate said indicia and complementary formed means onsaid base. and said indicia interengageable with each other for removably mounting said indicia on said base, said base including a top wall and said complementary formed means comprising a channel in the top surface of said base having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls connected to the top wall of the base, and at least one inflatable member depending from each of the indicia adapted to be received in said channel, the width of said members being slightly in excess of the width of said channel so that said members engage opposed side walls of the channelin tight frictional engagement when the members are inflated to maintain the indicia on the base.

2. A sign as in claim 1, wherein said members communicate with the interior of the indices they depend from so that a member and the associated indicia element will be inflated and deflated simultaneously.

3. A sign as in claim 1, wherein said base is inflatable, said base and said indicia being fabricated from a flexible plastic material so that said base and said indicia may be folded into compact .package when deflated.

4. A sign as in claim 1, wherein said indicia are letters of the English alphabet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,917,978 7/ 1933 Keener 40-214 2,561,016 7/1951 Ford et al. 40-125 2,762,327 7/1956 Weig 40--125 3,234,685 2/ 1966 Harrowe 46-88 FOREIGN PATENTS 350,180 6/1931 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

R. CARTER, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SIGN INCLUDING A BASE, A PLURALITY OF HOLLOW INFLATABLE INDICIA HAVING PREDETERMINED THREE-DIMENSIONAL CONFIGURATIONS WHEN INFLATED, VALVE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOLLOW INDICIA FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF A GAS THERETHROUGH TO INFLATE AND DEFLATE SAID INDICIA AND COMPLEMENTARY FORMED MEANS ON SAID BASE AND SAID INDICIA INTERENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OTHER FOR REMOVABLY MOUNTING SAID INDICIA ON SAID BASE, SAID BASE INCLUDING A TOP WALL AND SAID COMPLEMENTARY FORMED MEANS COMPRISING A CHANNEL IN THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID BASE HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS CONNECTED TO THE TOP WALL OF THE BASE, AND AT LEAST ONE INFLATABLE MEMBER DEPENDING FROM EACH OF THE INDICIA ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN SAID CHANNEL, THE WIDTH OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF THE WIDTH OF SAID CHANNEL SO THAT SAID MEMBERS ENGAGE OPPOSED SIDE WALLS OF THE CHANNEL IN TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WHEN THE MEMBERS ARE INFLATED TO MAINTAIN THE INDICIA ON THE BASE. 